


Blood Moon Falling

by x0xll



Category: Hell on Wheels (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, F/M, Gen, canon study, i got mad ok, is that a thing? it is now, like big time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 07:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11271081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x0xll/pseuds/x0xll
Summary: Cullen stumbles back into Hell on Wheels just before the Swede can finish his mission with Lily. Their lives end far, far away from where they could have if he had been a second too late.-----------Heavy canon divergence starting from S2E10, where Cullen finds Lily dead at the hands of Gunderson.I wanted to see where the story would have gone had Lily not died.Chapters to be posted irregularly.





	Blood Moon Falling

The dust was just beginning to settle. Sunlight glared through the camp, all too bright against the charcoal dusted earth. The smell of charred pine and flesh hit Cullen’s nose like pepper dust to the eyes, and his lungs struggled to take in the death-filled air. His muscles ached from the adrenaline that had filled his veins all night, the pounding in his chest drowning out the sounds of pain that echoed through the town. It didn’t feel real, even compared to the battlefields he’d seen in the past.

 

The sudden screams cut through the stale air like a knife into flesh. A woman’s voice to the North of where he stood, and he recognized it immediately.

 

He was quick to the punch, boots skidding on the dirt as he bolted towards the railroad. His weapon emptied in last night’s fight, and quickly tossed to the side as he realized it would be worthless. Passing over a corpse, he retrieved the man’s rifle, near tempted to waste his breath on a joking “get it back to ya later”. As distance disappeared under his feet, Lily’s screams grew quieter.

 

He was at the front of the car when she screamed again. Up the stairs when she began to cry. Through the door when she had lost hope.

 

“Stand up.”

 

The demand was simple. Something that a shopkeeper would tell a lazy guard dog, or a school teacher would say to her students. Yet the two words that cut from Cullen’s lips carried as much poison as a Paiute’s arrow. Mr. Gunderson remained perched over Lily’s struggling form, but her sharp gasp stood to show that he had loosed his grip on her throat. A nervous chuckle rose in the Norwegian's throat.

 

“Mister Bohanon, pleasure it is to see you again.”

 

The sound of a bullet being loaded into the chamber of Cullen’s newfound weapon shook Gunderson to the core, but he knew nothing would come of it. Cullen had never taken a shot, never send a knife through his throat, never let a whip fly hard enough to kill. The ex-confederate could never bring himself to kill his  _ equal _ .

 

Gunderson’s boots found purchase on the wood floor, and he brought himself to stand. As he moved to face Cullen, his action was cut short by the sound of a close-range gun firing into his chest. Lily yelped, scrambling against the ground to move away from the large body before it collapsed onto the ground. Cullen tossed the rifle to the floor, kicking the Swede’s body out of the way and crouching down in front of Lily.

 

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

 

A sob ripped through the woman’s throat, her shaking hands gripping and Cullen’s vest collar. She shook her head in reply to his question, earning a relieved sigh from the man. Hesitantly, he pulled her against his chest, cradling her in an attempt to provide what comfort he could.

 

“The military train is on the way. They’re gonna clean up the mess and haul Durant's ass outta here.”

 

The report seemed to calm her down, and she loosened her grip on his vest.

 

“And the bridge?” The question came out raspy and choked, her voice not yet ready to flow again.

 

“Got a few more bullet holes, but it’s still standing.”

 

Lily nodded, pushing herself out of Cullen’s grip. She took in a deep breath, locking her gaze into his worried eyes. 

 

“Best go gather the survivors, then.” She croaked out, to which Cullen chuckled softly. He pressed a kiss into her ruffled hair and helped her to her feet.

 

* * *

 

 

With Lily’s arm draped over his own, Cullen greeted the blue-suited officials. There was a point in time where the navy blue wool would have sent him for a loop, but after such an exciting night he couldn’t be more relieved to see men with neatly shaped bowler hats. Lily was attentive to their questions, while the man at her side seemed more interested in putting them to work on repairing the railroad office.

 

“Why did you decide to defend the bridge, and not the town?” The man would ask. Lily would speak up, explaining that it seemed appropriate with where the enemy was coming from. Cullen would comment about learning a similar strategy in the war, to which the men would nod, and ask a follow-up question.

 

Cullen’s gaze fluttered upward, to the evergreen trees that peaked over the scorched town. The weight of Lily’s hands on his arm shifted a bit. He caught wind of a song being sung through the town’s ruins.

 

And suddenly, he realized, as the government man asked about a permanent job as chief of railroad engineering, that everything was going to be okay.


End file.
